Tag Archives: planning

Adrift

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Are we all “Adrift” as we plod along our path through our pilgrimage in life? And, “when we make a plan, God laughs.” We can pretend to be in “control.” As we drift down the “River of Life,” are we in control or freely floating wherever the current takes us? How is the consideration of being adrift in our lives useful to contemplate? And, if this thought brings up anxiety for you, what is the lesson you could benefit from considering?

Definitions of the concept/word “Adrift:”
1. so as to float without being either moored or steered.
2. failing to reach a target or winning position.

or

Definition of adrift
1. without motive power and without anchor or mooring a boat adrift on the sea
2. without ties, guidance, or security people morally adrift
3. free from restraint or support

No matter which definition you would choose, the common thread seems to be a lack of connection to something “more solid or considered successful.” And, is this something to strive for or to avoid? There are times in my life when being too connected meant that I was tied down and restrained from the freedom of moving willy-nilly about my life. Sometimes this is good and sometimes not so good, but always adding to the adventure of life. Consider, sometimes we have to “let go” and allow ourselves to drift into a life experience without perfect control or a solid support. This can make this life experience an adventure as we flow most freely down the River of Life. Our left brain and ego rarely enjoy this free floating due to fear/anxiety regarding where we are being “taken.” When we get swept up in falling in Love with another imperfect human, we can be aware of a lack of control over where the current will lead us… And yet, we often embrace this emotional adventure.

Life would be less fun if we “had to be in control” of every turn on the road of life. Being “swept away” or adrift in the current can be an intense learning, or testing, experience. Sometimes we just have to jump in this river and flow with it, trust in it, and find joy in the uncontrolled escapade. Life is a miracle and Joy can be found in the unplanned occurrences we venture through. A lack of security or support can become intense and important challenges in our brief human lives. We can learn from these times. We can develop new consciousness and wisdoms. If we survive, in our human forms, we can then be role models or mentors to other people we encounter and so serve by raising the consciousness of these souls we bump into.

Adrift can sound frightening to our survival based ego brains. To our spirit, it can be a leap into the Divine.

There are no easy answers. You must live your life in your own unique way. No one else can tell you the “best” way to behave or to live. You find this out on your own as you drift through life. Guidance, Love and support from the Divine is within you, if you choose to quiet yourself, be present, pay attention, and are willing to follow what is possible. Know yourself (easier said than done.) When you feel “Adrift,” from a much broader perspective, you find yourself in a wonderful adventure that unconsciously is needed and perhaps even desired. “Go for it!” And, of course, take responsibility for any seemingly mis-adventures you have swum yourself into…

When you find yourself adrift, feel the creative forces flowing. Know that you are not alone. You are loved and cherished. You can NOT make any mistakes which are not perfect and important for you to experience (though not always easy or fun…) There is much to learn when we can “let go” and trust the Divine Spirit. This may be the foundation for the reality of being “Adrift” in the Higher Realms and where we have come from and where we will return… AND, when you make a “Plan” to follow in your life, be unsurprised when your human planning goes awry. The deviation from your considered path has potentially high value as life experience. (This is why many of us, at some point in our human lives, like to venture into the unknown as a “thrill ride” in the amusement park called life.) When you find yourself adrift in the rapids of the River of Life, consider the possible choices you made to get you to this seemingly precarious thrill ride and consider the significant lesson you are to learn from this amazing turn of events…

Please understand, if you have read this far, I am not saying “NO” to life planning. Plans are great. Plans are fun and help you to focus your available time, energy and resources. Just do not take yourself and your plan too seriously so that you feel emotionally crushed if your plan does not work out as well as you wanted. The deviation from your planning may turn into a wonderful possible direction and you will learn many things along the way. So, be open and available to all that might occur as you float down your river of life. Being “present” and most aware are your helpful tools in these experiences. No matter what happens, YOU are amazing!

You are a Miracle. Whether you know this or not, you have come into your life to experience the adventure of living with the limitations of living as a human in 3 dimensions. You get to test your wisdom and to learn from human experiences. In many ways, you are never really “adrift” but perhaps flowing down your path toward some Divine escapades. There is a belief by some, who consider that your life’s events and learnings were an agreement created before you came into your current life as a way to learn your specific lessons and to assist other souls where your adventures overlap. This would be very difficult to prove but it is worth some consideration. Perhaps your guides and the ancestors of your lineage will be the unseen mentors which actually prevent you actually being “adrift” as they guide and support you and your journey of learning through your current incarnation. (Again, this is difficult to prove but does it feel like there is truth in this possibility. For me, there is a gut feeling of possible truth…) For myself, I have a very strong feeling that I have been guided and protected through the travails experienced in my life. (I am open and available to feel the guidance and brave enough to trust it…)

On the occasion where you may feel Adrift, please consider the possible lessons you can learn from this challenge. Share this wisdom when it is possible as an act of service for other people drifting through their lives.

Thank you for your time and consideration. You are Loved!

Focus – A Key to Success

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Written January,2015

As I write this article, it is the first month of the new year. For many people, the change of the calendar reminds them to check their long range goals, re-assess their strategies, and begin to move forward, taking the steps necessary to accomplish their bigger goals. The most successful people do this exercise constantly and have habitualized this into a “normal and natural” occurrence. Most of the rest of us, struggle to focus on this planning process that is so necessary for success. The only way around the planning process is the very rare state of “Good Luck” that can fall upon us but most “dreamers” never accomplish their goals through this path. Big goals take time and effort to accomplish and do “just happen.”

So, as I am sure you have been told before, it is time to “buckle down” and set an achievable course toward your most important goals. What often gets in the way is our own internal distractions which are really the “fear of failure” fairies or the “I am not sure that I really deserve success” gremlins. These are issues that need to be dealt with, but not in this article… (Get coaching or rigorous mentoring if you require.)

Also standing in your way toward ultimate success using this approach can also be due to “overwhelm” which is more easily controlled. Overwhelm suggests that it is difficult to focus when you are being distracted by basic daily survival. Get organized and let go of the unimportant expectations that clutter your mind. Easier said than done but I offer a technique that will assist you with this.

De-cluttered your mind exercise:
1. Make a list of all the things that you “have to do” (Put everyone, even the ones that are not work related on this list. WRITE THEM DOWN!)
2. Now, organize this list and eliminate any of the tasks that can wait
3. With the remaining tasks, ask yourself (honestly) which of these, if any, are so important that they will be a big concern of yours in one year… Will you still remember this item if left undone this time next year?
4. Move any of these less important items to another list of things that you can work on if you are bored or have nothing better to do.
5. Take the items that are left on your “have to do” list and create a strategy, with timeline, for accomplishing these goals.
6. Get going on this list, AND reward yourself for completion of these items.

Focusing and problem solving solutions, creatively, may also require that that you rid yourself of physical and emotional distractions. For this, I suggest that you must practice stress management and self-care regularly. The time and energy that this requires will come back to you and pay dividends. As an example, 20 minutes of deep relaxation or meditation can take the place of as much as 2 hours of sleep. (Do not believe this with out testing this for yourself. When I first heard this I did not believe this claim. For me, 20 minute a daily Autogenic training was found to reduce my requirement for sleep by 1.5 hours, so I came out 1 hour and 10 minutes ahead by doing my regular relaxation. Gentle warning, it required 3 months of using Autogenic training daily for me to get this result.)

Set your positive goals and then making a step by step guide to achieving them is critical. Reviewing your list daily or at least weekly is also essential. In fact, I recommend picturing your desired results at the end of each daily relaxation period. Setting a workable time line is also essential, but have a little flexibility and be sensible with timelines.

To be successful, you will need to learn to say “NO” to outside distractions and other people’s expectations. This not easy to do, but you must think long term on the value the successful completion of your goals will bring to you.

If you are going to be happy, healthy and “well rounded,” then you also need to consider your most important goals in the areas that are not just career and financial. You must also set and achieve goals regarding: your health, your spiritual/aesthetic growth, your intellectual growth, your relations with family and friends, and your closest relationship.

If you can not get a focused plan by yourself, get support. You may even consider working with a professional coach and find the benefit of having an accountability partner.

In any case, get going. Do the work! Take responsibility! And, reap the benefits of your own success!

If you have questions or would like an accountability partner to assist you in moving forward, consider coaching. Contact me at 360-593-3833 or through the website www.dstress.com